Flour-sifter.



No. 697,903. Patented Apr. I5, |902. W. M. VISER.

FLOUR SIFTEB.

(Application filed July 26, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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llniTnn STATES PATENT` FFICE.

VILLIAM MORTIMER VISER, OF HARRODSBURG, KENTUCKY.`

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 697,903, dated April15, 1902.

Application filed July 26, 1901. Serial No. 69.827- (NO model-'J To allwhom, t 'may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MORTIMER VISER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Harrodsburg, in the county ot Mercer and State ofKentucky, have invented a new and useful Flour-Sitter, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to sitters, and has for its object te provide animproved household sitter for sifting flour, meal, and the like. It isalso designed to arrange for facilitating the manipulation of the deviceand to require but a slight movement ot' a single hand to operate theagitator with a quick positive swing.

A further object resides in mounting the agitator so as to prevent lossor leakage of the contents of the sifter and to obviate the tendency toscatter the material during the sifting operation, and inally to havethe movable parts of the device arranged so as to be protected by thehandle and not to nterfere with the introduction of iiour or the likeinto the sifter.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter morefully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularlypointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes inthe'form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within thescope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing anyof the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure l is a central longitudinal sectional view of asifter embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan viewthereof, parts being broken away to show the fulcrum-support of theagitator.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the'figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, l designates an open-ended tubular bodyhaving its upper end portion formed into a scoop and its lower endprovided with a foraminous bottom or sieve 2, that is located somewhatabove the lower edge of the body, thereby to provide a lower marginalsupporting-ange 3. Upon the exterior of the body there is provided apair of opposite handle-brackets 4:, between the outer ends of which ahandle 5 is rotatably mounted. Vithin the body and working over theupper side of the sieve is a skele` ton agitator 6, which is designed tobe actuated from the rotatable handle. These parts of the device arecommon and well known and form no part of the present invention, andtherefore may have any preferred shape or form.

In carrying out the present invention it is designed to provide animproved operative connection between the agitator and the handle, so asto secure a quick and positive reciprocatory action of the agitator. Itis preferred to form the agitator from a single length of stift wire,which is bent into a flat coil, one end of which is formedinto astraight shank or stem 7, that is projected outwardly through aperforation 8 in the rear of the body and immediately below the lowerhandle-bracket, the outer end of the stem being terminated between thebody and the handle and formed into a terminal hook 9. The stem has acomparatively close iit within the perforation in the body, and theWalls of the latter are designed to form an intermediate fulcrumconnection between the4 stem and the body, and the stem is designed toclose the perforation, so as to prevent the loss or leakage of iiour orwhatever material is being sifted. The rotatable handle is preferablymounted upon a central spindle 10, which has its upper end journaled inthe upperhandlebracket and its lower end portion journaled in the lowerhandle-bracket, said lower end portion being extended and formed into acrank-arm 11, which is extended inwardly and 'provided with a terminaleye 12, with which is loosely engaged the terminal hook of theagitator-stem, whereby a loose or pivotal connection is formed betweensaid stem and the rotatable handle.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the agitator maybe conveniently operated by grasping the handle and moving the same toimpart a slight swinging movement of the body upon the pivotalconnection between the latter and the handle, whereby the agitator isoperated through the fulcrum mounting of the stem and the pivotalconnection between the latter and the IOO handle. In View of the factthat the stem is intermediately fulcrumed a quick and positive throw isimparted to the agitator by a very slight movement of the hand of theoperator. Moreover, all of the operating parts are located at the bottomot' the body and therefore do not interfere with the introduction ofiour into the body, and the stem and crank are mounted below andadjacent to the lower handle-bracket, whereby said parts are effectivelycovered and protected. Heretofore similar devices have employed a slotformed in the side of the body for the reception of the operativeconnection between the agitator and the handle, whereby the slot permitsof loss or leakage of the fiour, which disadvantage has been overcome bythe present invention in mounting the stem in a comparatively smallopening, so that said stem forms a closure for the opening and toprevent loss or leakage ot' the contents of the body. Moreover, a slotpermits of a comparatively wide range of movement of t-he agitator,whereby there is a tendency to scatter the material being sifted. Thisscattering tendency is effectually overcome in the present invention byreason of the short quick throw of the agitator andcthe correspondinglyslight movement of the operators hand and the body of the sitter, itbeing understood that the device is designed to be operated by one handonly, so that the other hand may be free for performing any other work.As clearly shown in both of the figures, the stem portion 7 forms aclosure for the opening in the body of the sitter, and therebyeftectually prevents loss of the our or other material.

what I claim is- 1. A sitter consisting of an open-ended body, a sievetherein, an external rotatable 4o handle, an agitator cooperating withthe sieve and having a stein projected outwardly through the body andfulcrumed therein, and an operative connection between the rotatablehandle and the outer end of the stem.

2. A sifter comprising a body, a sieve therein, a rotatable handle, anagitator coperating with the sieve and provided with a stem projectedoutwardly through the body and fulcrumed therein, and a crank-armcarried by the rotatable handle and loosely connected to the outer endof the stem.

3. A sifter comprising a body, a sieve therein, opposite handle-bracketsprojected outwardly from the body, a rotatable handle mounted betweenthe brackets, an agitator cooperating with the sieve and provided with astem projected outwardly through an opening in the body and locatedbelow the lower handle-bracket, the stem forming a closure for theopening and also having an intermediate fulcrum connection with theedges ot' said opening, and a crank-arm carried by the lower end of therotatable handle and having a pivotal connection with the outer end ofthe stem, said pivotal connectionI being located between the handle andthe body of the sitter.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aftixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM/MORTIMER VISER.

Witnesses:

W. T. WASHINGTON, W. L. VooRHIEs.

